23 Comments For This Post

1. perryman Says:
   April 25th, 2008 at 6:58 pm

   My favorite food has got to be nachos. Simple ones with cheese sauce (I prefer sauce to melted cheese) and jalapenos. One of my best recipes, however, is my guacamole. It’s also very simple: just peel, core, and cut up an avocado into a bowl. Then add garlic salt, a bit of ground red pepper, and a bit of lemon juice. If the avocado isn’t quite ripe enough, you can add a bit of butter to it and mix it in before the other ingredients. Just mix everything together with a fork or spoon and enjoy!

2. Linda N Says:
   April 27th, 2008 at 4:00 pm

   I love appetizers. I don’t order them too often in restaurants, but I like to make them at home.

   Artichoke Dip:

   1 8 oz. can of artichoke hearts

   1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

   ½ cup sour cream

   ½ cup mayonnaise

   8 oz. cream cheese

   2 garlic cloves

   Preparation
   Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.

   Place blended ingredients in shallow baking dish and cook in oven at 325 for 30-45 minutes or until the top of the dip is light brown.

3. janene1627 Says:
   April 27th, 2008 at 4:55 pm

   I have absolutely no Idea how to make it, BUT, It was an breakfast in Hawaii. It was eggs on top of some kind of rice with “stuff” in it. ILOVEDIT!! Not a clue how to make it.. IF anyone knows, send it my way.

4. thehotrod Says:
   April 28th, 2008 at 12:45 pm

   Here’s 2 easy appetizers that are always big hits with our family.
   Dried Beef and Pickles
   1lb dried beef, cut thin, but thick enough that it doesn’t tear when spreading cream cheese mixture.
   1 jar dill pickles
   8 oz cream cheese
   garlic salt, onion salt
   Add a few dashes of each salt to cream cheese, stir. Layout a piece or two of dried beef, spread cheese onto beef. (works better when cheese is room temp). Grab a pickle and roll up beef around pickle. Works best to dry the pickle with paper towel before wrapping. Refrig pickles and beef/cheese for a few hours…then slice and serve.

   Bacon wrapped smokies
   package or two or little smokies (baby wieners)
   package or two of bacon
   1-2 cups of brown sugar
   Cut bacon strips into halves or thirds, depending on how big the bacon is and how much bacon per weiner you want.
   Wrap each smokie with a piece of bacon and hold bacon in place with a wooden toothpick. Place bacon wrapped smoky into a foil lined jelly roll pan. When all smokies are rolled, sprinkle brown sugar over the top of them in the pan. Cover pan with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Bake in oven at 350F for an hour or how ever long you’d like…some like more chewy bacon, some like more crispy.

   Thanks for the info and the chance to win.

5. artsygirl Says:
   April 28th, 2008 at 4:59 pm

   I lost my mom in the fall and attempted to make a recipe book full of her good, pretty good, and NOT so god meals-including her 3 day pot roast (perhaps this explains why I am now a vegetarian) for my family.
   The recipe book I made got caught in a flood on Christmas eve and made its way to the recycle center. I would love to be able to re-create a taste-book to sahre with my family. A gift, in honor of my mother.

   My recipe:

   Tiger Butter- easy, delicious and a much sought after recipe at any local bake sale!
   don’t share with anyone~! LOL

   TIGER BUTTER

   2 cups semi sweet chocolate- melted

   2 cups white choc. chips, with 2 cups peanut butter melted into it.

   pour melted semi-sweet into foil or parchment lined cookie sheet, then pour white choc/pb mixture over the semi-sweet. use a butter knife to swirl the two together-
   creating tiger stripes!

   refrigerate for 2 hrs to over night. Cut up into bite size pieces and share. be warned, it is delicious and easy to eat it all!
   recipe can be halved or doubled easily

6. nikkiev Says:
   April 28th, 2008 at 8:52 pm

   My favorite thing in the world to eat has to be spaghetti and meatballs. I think the spaghetti part is pretty easy, but knowing that the whole wheat pasta really is the best is important. It not only is better for you but it has a ton of flavor.

   For the meatballs:
   1-1/2 pounds of ground pork
   1-1/2 pounds of ground round
   2 eggs
   4-6 slices of white bread ( I use the whole grain white) soaked in 1 cup milk
   1/2 c. Parmesan cheese (the good stuff)
   salt & pepper to taste
   fresh basil
   1 onion & 2 cloves garlic sauteed in 2 tbsp. olive oil

   Combine it all together and form golf ball sized meatballs. I like to brown on all sides and place in sauce either in a 350 degree oven for 1-1/2 hours or in a crock pot on low for 4-6 hours. My family devours them over the spaghetti or on meatball subs!

   My Mom’s favorite dish I make for her is my French Onion Soup

   8 large onions sliced
   2-4 cloves of garlic, minced
   1/3 c. olive oil
   2 tbsp. flour
   8 c. beef stock
   1/4 c. white wine (I prefer chenin blanc)
   1/2 tsp. dried thyme
   1-2 bay leaves
   salt & pepper to taste
   1/2 lb. beef ribs or whatever cheap bone in beef you can get
   1 loaf French bread (in a pinch we’ve used garlic butter croutons)
   2 c. shredded Gruyere or Swiss Cheese

   Brown beef in pot to render fat and get beefy flavor. Remove and add oil, onions & garlic to saute over low heat until tender and golden yellow. Add flour over onions and cook a few minutes more, browning flour well. Add stock and wine & bring to boil, add thyme & bay leaves. Reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes or so. Add salt & pepper to taste.

   top with French bread and cheese broil or bake at 350 for 5 minutes.

7. danny32560 Says:
   April 28th, 2008 at 10:26 pm

   My favcorite food is tomato gravy.

   Make a brown gravy. Put a couple tables spoons of oil in a skilit and get it hot. Add flour to the frying pan and brown the flour this willl make a roux. Add water to the roux and this wil make flour gravey. Add a can of tomato sause. This is great over biscuits.

8. Elodie Says:
   April 29th, 2008 at 6:41 am

   Ooooo, my all time favorite dish… well, it’s not so much a dish, it barely requires any preparation but oh my god it’s just delicious. It’s from the alps (france? switzerland? I don’t know) and it’s called Raclette… and believe me only in the alps where you can be hiking or skiing every day depending on the season can you afford to eat this.
   It’s pretty much potatoes, cheese (called raclette, hehe), gherkins, and various hams/salamis. You have a machine which melts the cheese, then you pour it over a potatoe which you have peeled, and you eat it with the ham and pickles. So good. Man. Even if it’s probably the most fattenign thing in the universe. It can also be done with another white cheese than raclette, since raclette is kinda hard to find in the us…but I dunno if you can really call it raclette anymore!
   Mmmm cookbook!

9. thordora Says:
   April 29th, 2008 at 1:03 pm

   Favorite ever? My mother’s poppy seed cake, the recipie to which she took to her grave.

   No lemons or oranges involved, just cake and poppyseed goodness…..

10. actionjackson03 Says:
    April 29th, 2008 at 4:04 pm

    My grandma’s goetta is my absolute favorite food — and it’s actually not too unhealthy! Here’s a little story about it and her original recipe:

    http://www.workingmomsagainstg.....-2007.html

11. PsychMamma Says:
    April 29th, 2008 at 5:16 pm

    What a great giveaway! I want to create a TasteBook of my favorite recipes (including ones from my mom and grandma) to give to my daughter when she’s grown. My favorite dish is probably a Thai dish called Red Curry Chicken w/Basil.

    2 T olive oil
    1 & 1/2 T Thai Red Curry Base
    1 can coconut milk (shaken)
    1 & 1/2 lb chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
    2 tsp. sugar
    2 tsp. Thai fish sauce
    1 red bell pepper - cored and sliced
    1 can chunk pineapple - drained
    10 large basil leaves - chopped

    Heat oil & add curry base, simmering for 2 min so that it dissolves and foams. Stir in coconut milk and cook over med. heat for 4 min. Add sliced chicken and simmer 4 min. Stir in sugar, fish sauce, bell pepper and pineapple and simmer until chicken is cooked (around 3-4 more min). Add chopped basil. Yummy!

12. perryman Says:
    April 29th, 2008 at 7:10 pm

    I love all of these recipes! So many of them look so good. I keep a OneNote notebook with all of my recipes and I have copied several of these into it to try.

13. Judie Lipsett Says:
    April 29th, 2008 at 7:16 pm

    @perryman, so have I!

    I can’t enter (obviously), but I wanted to post my baklava recipe for those who like such things:

    I originally posted it here -

    http://www.geardiary.com/2006/.....klava-too/

    1 pound finely chopped pecans (they taste better than walnuts, almonds or pistachios - I promise!)
    4 tablespoons of cinnamon (more is okay - less is not)
    Cinnamon to sprinkle
    1/2 cup white sugar (the fake stuff won’t work right - don’t bother)
    2.5 cups of water
    2.5 cups of honey
    1 tablespoon of real vanilla extract
    2 (16oz) packages of Phyllo dough (make sure it is thawed)
    4 sticks of melted butter (don’t use the fake stuff here, either)
    Preheat oven to 350F

    -Combine the pecans and cinnamon in a bowl; set to the side.

    -Combine the water, sugar, honey and vanilla in a saucepan; set to the side.

    -Use a brush to butter the sides and bottom of the baking dishes. Lay two sheets of Phyllo dough in the pan and then lightly brush with melted butter. Using two sheets at a time, continue process until there are at least eight sheets laid in the bottom of the pan (with butter between every two).

    I keep the Phyllo that is not being used yet covered with a damp paper towel while making the layers. It will get dry the longer it is left in the air, but if you are quick there won’t be any problems.

    -Spread the pecan and cinnamon mixture over the buttered Phyllo. Cover with two sheets of Phyllo, lightly brushed butter, two sheets of Phyllo, lightly brushed butter, pecan mixture, and so on - until there are three layers of nuts with at least four to six sheets of Phyllo in between each of those nut layers.

    You can do four layers of nuts, but any more and it starts to be “too much” as these are very rich!

    -For the last layer of Phyllo, use at least eight sheets with butter brushed on after every two sheets are laid. Butter the top and final layer.

    -Take a sharp knife and cut the raw baklava into squares; divide the squares into two triangles each. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

    *If you are making this to give away and are using aluminum pans - be very careful with the cutting - you don’t want to poke the pan or there will be a major mess later.

    Some people trim the edges off the baklava so it will be “prettier”, but the thicker crunchy edges are my favorite part.

    -Bake for 50 minutes on the top shelf of the oven, rotate if you have pans on the bottom. Baklava will be golden brown with crispy edges when it’s ready.

    -With 20 minutes left to go on the baklava baking, take the pan with the sugar, water, honey and vanilla mixture and begin cooking on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon. Let it come to a low boil, then back the heat down to low - stirring occasionally. It will make a light syrup.

    -After the baklava has finished baking, put the pans on wire racks to cool. Ladle the syrup mixture on top of the pan and listen to the sizzle..smell the steam…mmmmmm!

    This recipe will make two 13 x 9 glass pans, or one 13 x 9 glass pan and three 8 x 8 aluminum foil cake pans. Nothing here is exact science, for instance - you may end up with extra nuts, if so just freeze them for next time.

    You can eat it as soon as it’s cool enough not to burn your tongue, but it really is better if you can wait at least a day to dig in. Just let it sit - uncovered or lightly covered with a sheet of waxed paper - you don’t want it to get too moist. There’s nothing in it that needs refrigeration - so don’t worry.

    Baklava will last a couple of weeks on the kitchen counter, but it can also be frozen - just wrap it well with plastic wrap after it has cooled, stick it in the freezer, and then let it thaw uncovered to room temperature when you are ready to eat it.

14. Aura Mae Says:
    April 29th, 2008 at 10:16 pm

    Judie, I am trying to figure out how baklava could “last” more than a day or two on the counter! I would have a piece every time I walked by!

15. Judie Lipsett Says:
    April 29th, 2008 at 10:18 pm

    @Aura Mae - I usually make several large pans, at least enough that there will be some left over once we get sick of it.

16. Steve Laser Says:
    April 29th, 2008 at 10:38 pm

    Gourmet Fried Rice

    I love to cook. Love it! Here we go. Cook up 4 cups rice. I prefer brown, but you can use white as well. When it’s done, let it cool thoroughly. This is a very simple recipe, but you can really get creative. Be sure to experiment with your favorite ingredients. I like to make it low fat and use lean ingredients and very little oil. Here are the rest of the ingredients (keep in mind that the better quality the ingredients, the better your dish will be):

    2 green onions
    2 carrots
    1 small onion (I like spanish or yellow)
    3 strips bacon (you can sub turkey bacon)
    1 egg
    2 slices ham
    mushrooms

    1/2 teaspoon sugar
    1/8 cup peanuts or cashews
    1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
    1 teaspoon fresh ginger
    1 teaspoon garlic
    1/2 pound shrimp - get the nice big ones
    1/2 pound filet mignon
    Soy sauce
    2 teaspoons Sesame oil
    Spicy chili oil (optional)
    Dash of cooking sherry

    While the rice is cooling, add some nonstick spray to a wok or large frying pan. Get it nice and hot, then crack the egg into it. Mix the egg just a tiny bit so the yolk is broken but not thoroughly mixed in. When it’s cooked, remove it and cut it into thin strips.

    Cut your vegetables. I like to cut the carrots diagonally. Cut them into 1″ strips. Cut the onion into little squares. Slice the mushrooms. Have a beer. Cut the green onions into very small slices. I like to put all the ingredients into separate paper plates before I cook them, so everything is easy to reach and organized. Once the stuff is cooked, put it in a tupperware bowl and cover it so it doesn’t lose its heat.

    Cut the steak into 1″ cubes. Clean the shrimp, remove the spine and tail. Cut them in half.

    Cook the bacon and ham in the pan. When they’re done, cut them into 1/2″ pieces.

    Cook steak. I like mine medium well. Season it with a couple shakes of Lowry’s Season Salt if you like. I like. Put to the side and cover.

    Cook the shrimp, but be sure not to overcook. They get rubbery. Put to the side and cover.

    Cook the vegetables. The longer you cook them, the softer they get. I prefer them on the crunchy side.

    You should now have all the meat and vegetables cooked and cut. Everything should be on the side in tupperware bowls and covered. Have a shot of Jack Daniels, then chase it down with a Michelob.

    Take your nuts and hold them in your hand gently. Ok, now heat them in the pan. You must constantly mix them so they don’t get burned on one side. Just heat them for a minute or two so they are lightly browned. Remove.

    Now comes the fun part. Adjust the fire to medium. Make sure your wok or pan is large enough to fit all the ingredients, including the rice. Here’s where we “fry” the rice. Coat your wok/pan in nonstick spray, then add a couple teaspoons of oil, the teaspoon of sesame oil, and the optional teaspoon of hot chili oil. I feel that spice brings out all the flavors. It’s like monosodium glutamate, but it doesn’t have the weird side effects.

    Toss in the rice, and constantly stir. Shake some soy sauce in. Don’t put more than 5-6 dashes. You don’t need as much as you think. You are not trying to make the rice turn brown with the soy, you are just flavoring. I think when you see brown colored fried rice, it is often due to artificial coloring. Artificial coloring = bad. Be sure not to overcook the rice. We are just heating it up, not cooking it. Keep stirring, and then start adding the ingredients one at a time, mixing all the while. When you’ve added all the ingredients, move the rice to the sides of your pan, leaving an exposed part of the pan in the middle. Add the garlic, ginger and crushed red pepper. Saute them in the cooking sherry for a minute or two, stirring constantly but lightly. Then toss the whole thing like a salad.

    Serve in bowls. Bowls retain the heat better than plates.

    One variation is to serve it with the steak and shrimp on top of the rice instead of mixed in. To me that is more dramatic. Personally, I like to saute the steak and shrimp in a bit of teryake sauce, then serve it on top of the rice. If you do this, don’t add the teryake until one minute before the steak and shrimp are done. I cook the steak and shrimp separately for two reasons. They cook for different lengths of time, and if you cook them together, the steak coloring will hinder your seeing the shrimp turn from pink to orange, signaling it’s done.

    Enjoy!

17. superdumb Says:
    April 30th, 2008 at 8:55 am

    I still have dreams about a potato pizza with creme fraiche that I had once at an after-hours pizza place in Seattle, but I’ve never been able to replicate it…

    I would love to try Tastebook! I want to archive all of my mom’s recipes, which are currently spilling out of a big Ziploc baggie.

18. samanthapayntr Says:
    May 1st, 2008 at 12:56 am

    my all time favorite dish is Corned Beef and Cabbage. We don’t just eat on St. Patrick’s day we try to to eat it year round,and usually get a whole bunch of corned beef when it get’s close to St. Patrick’s day because they’re cheaper then.

19. renzokuken Says:
    May 1st, 2008 at 1:16 am

    uhm….i don’t know much about cooking…..but i want this for my mother in law……..hope this count as an acceptable entry….

20. anniehall4000 Says:
    May 1st, 2008 at 2:35 am

    my all time favorite dish is spaghetti with my mother’s special meatball recipe, it’s simple, but delicious!

21. rsnavin Says:
    May 1st, 2008 at 10:55 am

    my all time fav is a blueberry cheese cake 1 layer of blueberry, 1 layer of cheese cake and 1 layer of baked biscuit..yummy

22. thehotrod Says:
    May 9th, 2008 at 5:50 pm

    Just out of curiosity…Who won?

23. Judie Lipsett Says:
    May 9th, 2008 at 6:22 pm

    thehotrod, I updated at the top of the post:

    “Update: This contest is closed. The winners are danny32560, perryman, and Steve Laser. Thank you all who entered, we hope your moms enjoy their special day! <3″

    I probably should have put it in the comments, too.

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1. Win your own TasteBook! « Get Some Hairapy! Says:
   April 27th, 2008 at 7:19 pm

   [...] seen mine at the salon and know that it is a lovely, quality book. All you have to do to win is click on over to Gear Diary and leave a comment that includes your favorite dish and/or recipe.  (At this writing, there are [...]

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